Australian Company Introduces Modular Power Station with Swappable Batteries
An Australian company called Decarbon Ventures has launched a line of portable power stations with several innovative features. The tech firm’s AirBase Duo and Quad solar generators come with semi-solid state batteries that are lighter and more energy-dense than the power cells found in most competing products. But most intriguing of all, the batteries on these solar generators can be swapped out without losing electricity, creating an energy ecosystem capable of powering a small home or RV for days at a time.
The AirBase Duo and Quad are the results of an engineer who had too much time on his hand during the pandemic lockdown. During the prolonged Australian lockdown, Decarbon Ventures co-founder Geoff Elwood came to the conclusion that solar power alone wasn’t the solution for off-grid power. With that in mind, the serial inventor developed the AirBase power stations, creating a portable charging system in the process.
Photo Credit: Decarbon Ventures
“I wanted to build an evergreen solution that uses modular power cells that can be swapped when needed, and can be scaled up or down,” said Elwood. “We have created a swappable capability that forms the building blocks of an entire suite of products. With the AirBase Quad, having the ability to scale from one to four power modules means you have a solution now that provides an incredible and unprecedented 7.2 kWh of power storage and delivers it at a whopping 6 kW of output.”
As its name implies, the AriBase Quad has four modular battery slots that allow the user to pull out a depleted power cell and replace it with a fresh one. In theory, this allows the solar generator to maintain power indefinitely, provided there is a way to recharge the batteries when needed. The AirBase Duo—which has a capacity of 3600Wh and an output of 3000W—uses a similar design but with two battery chambers rather than four.
Photo Credit: Decarbon Ventures
In addition to hot-swappable batteries that use solid-state materials, Decarbon Ventures also promises a slew of other excellent features. Those include fast-charging capabilities via both AC wall outlets and solar. The devices are also safer and less likely to spark a fire than power stations using lithium battery technology. These devices also offer remote control and monitoring via a smartphone app, intelligent one-touch operation, and built-in support for smart home protocols.
These new power stations look very promising, but to be clear, we have seen models with swappable batteries in the past. Those devices don’t offer anywhere close to the same level of performance as the AirBase, however. We’ve also seen solar generators with more capacity and output, but usually, those devices require external battery packs to achieve those levels. They aren’t as lightweight and portable either, limiting their functionality while traveling.
Photo Credit: Decarbon Ventures
Pricing and availability for the AirBase solar generators have not been announced yet. The company says the new power stations will debut on Kickstarter in August, allowing potential customers to help fund the product and be the first to get their hands on one. For more information—and to sign up for e-mail updates and alerts—visit the Decarbon Ventures website.
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